


Weaving the Web

by ThisIsLitaE



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Adoption, Animagus, Arachnophobic Rafael Barba, Babysitting, Barisi - Freeform, Domestic Fluff, Lawyer Husbands, M/M, Married Life, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mythical Beings & Creatures, References: S19 E09 Gone Baby Gone, Spiders, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:27:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27175859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisIsLitaE/pseuds/ThisIsLitaE
Summary: If you're trying to convince your husband to adopt a child, don't babysit one who can turn into a spider!Rafael gets a nasty surprise when he comes home to find Dominick babysitting Noah Porter Benson.
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33
Collections: Barisi Creatures Bingo





	Weaving the Web

**Author's Note:**

> As the summary and tags suggest, if spiders are not your thing, this fic may present a squick factor.  
> Hey - it's not my fault that cat, dog and bird were taken for the Animagus square ;-)  
> For those about to read, I salute you. Enjoy!

Rafael stared at the door to his apartment, hesitant to go inside. Dominick had texted to let him know they were looking after five year old Noah Porter-Benson for the evening. Given the recent kidnapping by Noah’s maternal grandmother, Rafael understood that they couldn’t say no to Olivia’s request. Therefore, the ADA’s plans for a relaxing dinner with Dominick had gone out the window.

Tempting as it was to escape to Forlini’s, Rafael figured his husband was using babysitting to test him. Tired of only being Uncle Sonny to everyone else’s kids, Dominick had been making less than subtle hints about adoption. Rafael was more hesitant on the matter, preferring to approach the situation with logic. While open to the idea of children with Dominick, he knew what a long and often painful process adoption entailed. Being a same sex couple made it even more so.

Prepared as he’d ever be, Rafael entered his apartment. Laughter sounded out from the living room area. Rafael let out a chuckle of his own, feeling a little more hopeful about the night ahead. Within five seconds, his optimism faded. As Rafael was hanging up his coat, Noah came barrelling down the hallway towards him.

“Hey, Uncle Rafa!” Noah shouted, grabbing the man’s leg in a hug. “Want to see a magic trick?”

Dominick appeared in the hallway a second later, his face spouting clear annoyance. “Don’t do it, Noah!”

Rafael wondered exactly what magic trick Dominick had taught the child. He was about to ask when, with a giggle, Noah vanished into thin air. Rafael’s eyes widened in shock as he tried to process what happened.

It was then that he saw the tarantula clinging to his pants. A large, black spider had somehow manifested where Noah had been holding him. Rafael cried out in fear and moved to shake it off. The spider’s front two legs reared up, serving to further unnerve the ADA.

Dominick took hold of Rafael’s arms to steady him. “Stop moving. It’s really important.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, there is a spider on my leg!” Rafael snapped, trying again to kick the spider away.

“Listen to me. I know you’re freaking out but you have to keep still. It won’t hurt you, I promise.” Dominick cupped Rafael’s cheeks, so their eyes met. He began to explain as calmly as possible. “The spider is Noah. He’s an animagus. It’s a person, usually a witch or wizard, who can change into an animal form. So, you hurt the spider, you hurt Noah.”

Rafael searched his husband’s expression for any hint of deception. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I thought Lieu would have told you about all this. Though I can’t blame her for keeping it on the down low.” Dominick stroked Rafael’s hair, planting a soft kiss in the strands to soothe him. “Evidently, there was magic in Noah’s birth family. According to my research, animagi are supposed to be older and more experienced with their abilities. But when Grandma Sheila took Noah, she did something to speed up the process. Taught him this and a few other tricks.”

“In that case, we were accurate to call Sheila a heinous witch,” Rafael quipped sarcastically but his discomfort was evident. Against better judgement, he shot another glance at the tarantula. “And of all the animals in existence, Grandma taught him to turn into a damn spider?”

“I guess puppies and kittens were taken,” Dominick joked, his attempt to ease Rafael with humour failing. “Just breathe and don’t move. I’ll get him off you, okay? Come here, Noah.”

Dominick bent down slowly towards the spider, reaching out to grab him. Not wanting to be picked up, Noah darted away from the detective’s hands. Even though he wasn’t looking, Rafael could feel the spider crawling on his knee. In his efforts to remain still, he had begun trembling.

“Oh god, stop. You're provoking him.” Rafael said in a panic, squeezing his eyes shut. “You wouldn’t happen to know how to turn him back into a human boy?”

“He has to do it himself,” Dominick replied as he stood up. The detective’s face was apologetic as he brought Rafael into his arms. “I’ve got you, cuore mio. How about we carefully make our way to the couch and sit down?”

“What if I accidently step on him?” Rafael jerked back as Dominick tried to lead him. The one thing he feared more than the spider was unintentionally hurting Noah by moving. “I think Liv would frown upon me squashing her kid beneath my shoe.”

“I’m sorry.” Dominick held up his hands in surrender. He gave a cautionary look at the tarantula before embracing Rafael once more. A long, frustrated sigh followed. “Well, this was a disaster. I try and sell you on the idea of having kids and you’re probably more turned off than ever.”

Rafael felt guilty at his husband’s sadness. He had never meant to give the impression that he didn’t want kids. Just as he was about to respond to Dominick, Rafael suddenly felt a weight on his leg. He looked down to confirm that the spider was gone. Noah had transformed back into a human boy.

“Gotcha, Uncle Rafa!”

Dominick stared down at the child, pointing a disciplinary finger in his direction. “I told you not to do that, Noah! Rafael doesn’t like spiders and you could have been seriously hurt pulling that stunt. You’re in our house, you obey our rules, is that clear?”

Noah’s smile faded as he realised the extent of his actions. He looked up at Dominick with puppy dog eyes. “I’m sorry, Uncle Sonny.”

“It’s not me you have to say sorry to,” Dominick stated firmly, his tone cementing that he meant business.

Noah seemed genuinely apologetic as he turned to Rafael. “I’m sorry Uncle Rafa. I was only joking. I didn’t mean to scare you so bad.”

Rafael jolted as Noah went in for a hug, half expecting the spider form to reappear on his leg. He patted the child’s shoulder and started towards the kitchen. “I’m going to get a drink.”

Once he was alone, Rafael let out a sigh. The whole situation had shaken him more than he cared to admit. It felt like the spider was still on him. As he poured a generous amount of scotch, he could hear Dominick talking with Noah in the living area. Despite knowing the child was in human form, Rafael couldn’t help sneaking glances at his leg. 

Dominick walked into the kitchen, immediately going to Rafael’s side. “Are you okay?”

“Where’s Noah?” Rafael asked, his eyes darting nervously to the floor. “He’s not in spider form again, is he?”

“He’s on the couch, watching TV. I was going to make spaghetti but, given the circumstances, I think I’ll order some take out.” Dominick pressed a gentle kiss to Rafael’s lips. The look in his eyes reflected remorse. “I’m sorry. Lieu told him not to do any magic but he got excited about showing you.”

“Couldn’t show me his drawings like a normal kid?” Rafael rolled his eyes and took a swig of his scotch. Feeling the smooth liquor go down calmed his nerves. He gave Dominick’s hand a squeeze. “You’re really good with him though. Fun, but firm when you have to be.”

Dominick sniffed out a sad laugh in response. He pulled out some menus from the drawer and began flipping through the options. Rafael could feel the tension from unspoken words. The spider incident clearly had Dominick convinced that adoption was off the table. While Rafael would have preferred to wait until Noah was gone, the conversation was necessary to reassure his husband.

“Dominick, mi corazon. About what you said before, I was never against having children.” Rafael started, moving to hug Dominick from behind. “Adoption is a lot of work, and that’s before we actually get a child. Then we have this life in our hands, relying on us. It’s a lot to take in and I want us to be prepared before we jump into this.”

“Look, I get it and I appreciate that you’re being smart about this.” Dominick turned around to meet Rafael’s gaze, pressing their foreheads together. “You know, you’re better with kids than you think. Even when you were scared just now, you wanted to make sure Noah was safe. If we do end up with kids, you’ll be a great father. And if not, then I’ll have you all to myself forever.”

Rafael nuzzled Dominick’s nose and planted a kiss to his lips. “How about after Noah leaves you show me some of the secret research I know you’ve been doing on adoption agencies. If there is one we agree on, maybe we can make an appointment.”

Dominick’s face lit up. “You mean it?”

Rafael nodded and felt himself being lifted off the ground with Dominick’s excitement. Once his feet were back on the floor, he snuggled into his husband’s chest. The couple would have a long and hard road ahead, however Rafael was surprisingly looking forward to the journey.

“I do have one condition.” Rafael cut in, needing to mention the most important issue. “We don’t adopt a kid that can transform into animals.”

**Author's Note:**

> *Barisi Creatures Bingo: ANIMAGUS  
> *Do I go for the double bingo? Maybe...we'll see.  
> *Cuore mio/Mi Corazon - "My Heart" in Italian and Spanish respectively.  
> *There must be a limit for how many times you can tweak a single paragraph - haha.  
> *A bit more light hearted than my last completed fic, yes?  
> *Tell me what you think. Comments and Kudos and always appreciated, should you choose to leave them.


End file.
